Hiccough
by dark star17
Summary: Hermione needs help breaking in to Snape's private stores. . . she get's more that a little bottle of what she needed though
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The character and the situations do not belong to me, they are the work of someone else - I am not doing this for profit, don't sue me.  
  
A/N: This is just a short piece that is not related to my other story - it just came to me so I had to write it down. I know I should have been concentrating on my other piece. . .  
  
Hiccough  
  
Hermione Granger was in big trouble. Stomach acid from a sphinx was a vital ingredient for her potions assignment and her bottle of it was lying shattered on her bedroom floor, the acid burning a large whole in the floor boards. The hole in the floor was not her primary concern though. Getting another bottle of acid was. And it was impossible to obtain another bottle. Professor Snape had looked down on their class over his grease covered nose with an ugly expression on his face saying,  
  
"This is the only bottle you are getting. The only bottle. And I have carefully measured it out for you. Not so that it'd be easy for you, but because then you wouldn't be able to share with anyone. By the way, this assignment accounts for 20% of your mark given to you at the end of the year."  
  
He had then given a very ugly smile to Neville. Hermione had never imagined this would happen to her. As she wrung her hands in the middle of her bedroom, she could feel the tears beginning to pool in her eyes, she was going to fail. Hermione Granger was going to fail.  
  
Unless. . .  
  
She made her way downstairs into the common room searching for one possible person that could help her. A person who had done this many times. A certain obnoxious person called Ron. He had made it alive out of Snape's Private stores more than 5 times. Which was very impressive. Very impressive indeed. Unfortunately, he was surrounded by a group of people. No way was she asking him to do her, Hermione Granger, a favour in front of another soul. He would gloat about it front of everyone, making the situation ten times worse. Patiently, she took a seat near Ron and waited for the crowd to disperse. However, Ron and Harry were having a miniature quidditch game and no one wanted to miss that. The best seeker and best keeper were having a one on one with the quaffle and nearly all of the Gryffindor house was gathered taking sides and betting on who would win.  
  
"I'd say Harry wins, he's been playing quidditch since he was a first year." Seamus told the gathered throng.  
  
Dean and Neville both shook their heads,  
  
"Nah. I'd say Ron wins, Harry's a seeker. He doesn't even play with the quaffle."  
  
All the cheering and shouting was not doing good for Hermione nerves. She was nervously biting her fingernails waiting for the game to end.  
  
"Hey! Hermione, watcha doing?" Ginny asked from her perch on the armrest of Harry's chair.  
  
Hermione tore her fingers away from her mouth and answered, "Nothing." in a very agitated way.  
  
"Why don't you come and watch? Who do you think is going to win?"  
  
"Who cares? I don't care. I don't know." What's more important than a potions assignment?  
  
Finally after much nail biting and hair twisting the match ended with Ron winning Harry narrowly. This nevertheless put him in a very elated mood. As the Gryffindors filed out from the common room up to bed, Ron came over and plopped down beside Hermione, no doubt, to gloat over his victory of the youngest quidditch player in a century.  
  
"Hello there."  
  
"Hey."  
  
Surprisingly, Ron did not glory in his victory but brought up the very subject Hermione had wanted to talk to him about.  
  
"How's your Rejuvanant Potion coming along? Mine's turned clear after I added the Sphinx acid. Is it supposed to do that?"  
  
"I need to ask you something about that. Will you help me?"  
  
Ron's blue eyes widened in surprise. "You are asking me for help?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Hermione Granger, the genius, asking me, lowly Ronal Weasley, for help on her potions assignment?"  
  
"Yeah. Get over it. Will you help me?"  
  
"I depends. . ."  
  
Hermione took a deep breath. "I need to break in to Professor Snape's private stores. . . I broke that bottle of Sphinx acid he gave us and I need it to complete the assignment."  
  
Ron's face broke into a mischievous grin. "Oh really? Well, why do you need me to help?"  
  
Hermione sighed and rubbed her temple in a circular motion.  
  
"Don't make this any harder than it is Ron. I am already in a foul mood because I broke that bottle. If I don't have the acid then the whole potion is rendered useless."  
  
"And you will fail the potions assignment?" Ron finished for her.  
  
She glared. "You know that sounds ten times worse when you say it?"  
  
Ron grinned. "If I help you, then what will you do for me?"  
  
"Are we in that sort of a relationship?"  
  
"Well what kind of relationship are we in then?"  
  
Hermione blushed at the implication of that question but shook her head, "We are in a best friend relationship. You are my best friend, I am your best friend." She told him like it was obvious. But she did not know what kind of a relationship she was in with Ron.  
  
"Well, I suppose then I am obliged to help you."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Under Harry's borrowed. . . sorry, stolen invisibility cloak, Hermione Ron carefully made their way downstairs to the dungeons.  
  
"We should have asked him." Hermione hissed.  
  
"Hermione, my ankles are showing, can you please be quiet?"  
  
"It's your fault for being so tall then. Crouch down or something."  
  
With difficulty, Ron lowered his tall frame.  
  
"We should have asked Harry whether we could borrow his cloak. . ."  
  
"Hermione stop moaning. We left him a note. He was sleeping for God's sake."  
  
"Be quiet Ron."  
  
With much hassle, they arrived at Snape's office.  
  
"Alohamora."  
  
The door didn't budge.  
  
"You actually think Snape's going to guard his precious private store so that 'Alohamora' is going to open it?"  
  
Hermione glared a Ron. "Well, how do you open it then genius?"  
  
Ron shook his head gently and laughed.  
  
"Ouvertisous" he said tapping the door three times.  
  
To Hermione's surprise the door opened with a quiet click.  
  
"Come on. Let's get this over and done with."  
  
"Lumos." Both their wand tips glowed faintly. Hermione and Ron both emerged from the invisibility cloak.  
  
"Okay. . . let's look for your stupid sphinx acid."  
  
"Hic."  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Hermione held her breath and counted to ten.  
  
"Hic."  
  
"What was that sound?"  
  
"I'm hiccoughing."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"When I get nervous I hiccough. . ."  
  
Ron rolled his eyes. "Don't do that."  
  
"Hic."  
  
"Alright, Let's just ,"  
  
"Hic."  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
Hurriedly, Ron opened and closed drawers and cupboards trying to find the Sphinx Acid while Hermione tried not to 'Hic'.  
  
"Found it!" cried Ron triumphantly, he brandished the bottle of Sphinx acid in front of Hermione's face.  
  
"Alright then! Let's hic get out of hic here!"  
  
Ron and Hermione both stuffed their wands back in to their robes and threw the invisibility cloak over their heads -  
  
The door creaked open.  
  
"Oh shit!" Ron whispered. Quickly, he grabbed Hermione and ducked beneath a preparation table in the middle of the room.  
  
Ron squinted in the dark to make out the figure in the dark. It was Snape.  
  
Preciously hugging the bottle of acid to the chest, Hermione closed her eyes and tried to hold her hiccoughs. 'What the HELL is Snape doing here in the middle of that night?'  
  
"Filch are you in here?"  
  
Ron gasped. 'Snape and. . .Filch?!'  
  
"Hic."  
  
"Was that you Filch?"  
  
Silence greeted Snape. Much to Ron and Hermione Horror, Snape walked over and sat down on top of the preparation table.  
  
It creaked dangerously.  
  
"Hic."  
  
Ron felt Snape tense above him.  
  
"Who's here? Reveal yourself!"  
  
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips together. To no avail.  
  
Ron watched her closely. It looked like she was going to -  
  
It was now or never. He pushed his body forward and placed his lips firmly on top of Hermione's pinched ones. Hermione's eyes flew open. Ron was kissing her! His soft lips were pressed against hers, his blue eyes gently closed. She was so surprised her hic died somewhere in the middle of her throat. Slowly, Ron snaked his hands through her hair and pressed her close to him. Her hics were definitely dead now. Slowly, Hermione's eyes closed shut and she threw her arms around Ron while she returned his kiss.  
  
"Professor Snape?"  
  
"Ah Filch. You're here."  
  
"What did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
"Just make sure that there is a lot of dirty work to be done - I'll have a whole class of students sent down to detention."  
  
"Yes Professor. Is that all?"  
  
"Make the punishments nasty Filch, it's likely that I may send Potter and his worshippers."  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
"You know I only kissed you to stop you hiccoughing right?"  
  
"Yea." Hermione told him quietly as she walked through the portrait hole.  
  
"I mean, I really had no choice you know, with you hiccing non - stop."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"I'm serious! I didn't kiss you because I wanted to!"  
  
"Alright I got the point! It's not like I wanted to be kissed by you either."  
  
"Ok then."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"I'm going up to bed." Hermione said, "Thanks for today."  
  
"Yea. No problem."  
  
Hermione nodded and turned to go up to the dormitories, Ron grabbed her arm and turned her around and gave her flushed cheek an affectionate peck.  
  
"There. I wanted to do that." 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine  
  
A/N: Actually, this was going to be a one chapter story but I have been getting some really nice reviews telling me to write more so I decided to write ONE more chapter.  
  
***  
  
After collecting in all the potions but one, Snape saved Neville's for public showing later, he assessed them by the clarity of the potions. To Hermione's infinite relief, hers gained full marks much to Snape's displeasure. After the assessing however, Snape turned to the class with a very, very ugly look on his face.  
  
"Someone, stole my bottle of sphinx acid last night."  
  
Hermione flinched and stole a glance at Ron, who was sitting beside her. He didn't even twitch.  
  
"When I get a hold of that person, or persons. . ." Here, he gave a very threatening look to Harry, who looked totally oblivious to what Snape was talking about. Snape however decided to interpret this as a gesture of defiance.  
  
"Potter! Where were you last night?"  
  
Harry looked taken aback but not surprised. He was used to false accusations. . .actually accusations that Snape so often subjected him to.  
  
"I was asleep!"  
  
"Lying, you are LYING. 20 points from Gryffindor. You stole that bottle of Sphinx acid. Did you try to show heroism? Did you give it to your clumsy classmates?" Here, he glared at Neville, who quailed. "Longbottom. Let me see your potion."  
  
With trembling hands, Neville produced his bottle of potion. Snape sneered. The potion was not clear. . . instead it was, "Purple. Purple. Did it ever occur to you Longbottom that the potion, like it says in your textbook, is supposed to be clear? Did it you not read that the sphinx acid was supposed to be added last? 20 points from Gryffindor."  
  
Hermione was definitely shaking now. Snape was in such a foul mood and she was sure to be demoted from her head girl status if he found out. . . she may even be expelled. Nervously, she stole another glance at Ron, who seemed perfectly calm, without a touch of fear or nervousness in his boyish and, yes, she admitted with great reluctance, very good looking face.  
  
"If Miss Granger could stop staring at Mr. Weasley and pay attention!"  
  
Hermione jerked her head back. Snape gave her a very calculating and dirty look.  
  
"Were you and Mr. Weasley up and about last night doing things you were not meant to be doing?" She was caught. Snape knew all about her stealing his potion she was dead. Dead. She could see her lifeless body floating in the great lake with the giant squid -  
  
"Which brings me very nicely to our very last topic."  
  
'Eh?'  
  
"A contraceptive potion."  
  
The Slytherins girls giggled madly while the boys snorted. Snape took no notice. Realisation finally sinking in, Hermione began to blush brilliantly while radiating heat enough to melt an iceberg. She could not bring herself to look at anywhere beside the very interesting scorch mark on her table. Next to her she could hear Ron shaking with laughter.  
  
She elbowed him very painfully in the ribs.  
  
Snape glared. "Miss Granger, there are to be no public displays of affection to Mr. Weasley in my class! 10 points from Gryffindor!"  
  
"That was not!" Hermione was silenced by another prospect of 10 points from Gryffindor. Instead she sank in her seat.  
  
************  
  
Next to her, Ron was smirking, Snape was obviously an idiot - he never found him out. Sometimes having Harry and Neville as the prominent trouble makers in your class had its advantages. But perhaps Snape had some insight if he thought there was something going on between him and Hermione. . . hmm. Leaning over ever so slightly to Hermione's side of the table, Ron reached over to take Hermione's hand in his. He felt her radiate more heat, if possible. She snatched her hand away from his and gathered them on her lap while trying extremely hard not to let her eyes wander over to his direction.  
  
"The contraceptus potion is drunk by the male; in our case, Mr. Weasley would drink it."  
  
Ron raised his eyebrow at the sneering potions master. It seemed Hermione was doing all the blushing for him. Instead, he coolly looked ahead. This seemed to annoy Snape even more.  
  
"This potion should be drunken with care; too much and it can render the male. . .unable to perform his err. . .duty."  
  
"Maybe that's what happened to him." Harry muttered to Ron. Ron smirked.  
  
"Mr. Weasley? Would you like to demonstrate?"  
  
"No thank you professor. . . since you are the teacher I think it is your duty to perform the demonstrations."  
  
Snape's face contorted with rage. Luckily, Ron was saved by the bell. Hastily, he gathered up his things and raced out of the dungeon classroom, where he waited outside for Hermione. When she emerged a moment later, he grabbed her and pulled her into a darker corner in the corridor.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Ron! What in Merlin's name are you doing?"  
  
"Just asking you. You seemed pretty embarrassed back there."  
  
"I'm fine." Hermione started blushing again.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Why are you turning the colour of my hair?"  
  
"Because of YOU Ron." Hermione sighed and twisted a strand of hair between her fingers.  
  
"What about me?" he asked with a knowing grin.  
  
"Nothing. Just, just. . ."  
  
"May I kiss you?"  
  
"Now?!"  
  
"Yeah. . ."  
  
Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times and blinked rapidly. Ron waited earnestly for her answer.  
  
"Fine." She snapped and closed her eyes and gently puckered her lips. But she only felt the cool draft of the dungeon air drying the moisture off her lips. She opened her eyes furiously. "What the hell was that for?"  
  
Ron smiled, "I was just asking for your permission."  
  
In a furious huff, Hermione walked off angrily.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
"Hope you are not mad at me."  
  
Ron plopped down on the couch beside her. Hermione merely turned the other way and continued to read her book.  
  
"I couldn't just do it then Hermione, Snape could have caught us."  
  
Ron was presented with Hermione's back.  
  
"You looked so soft and pretty."  
  
"Really?" Hermione turned around with a huge smile on her face.  
  
"Ha ha! Gotcha." Ron said smirking.  
  
Hermione snapped her book shut and brought it down hard on Ron's head.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"Don't you mess with me Ronald!"  
  
"I wasn't. I thought it would be sacrilege to" Ron brought himself closer to Hermione "kiss you in the dungeons." He whispered.  
  
Hermione had to largest urge to just plant herself on him right there and then but persevered with her cold air.  
  
"Whatever. You didn't seem so reluctant last night."  
  
"I told you,"  
  
"Right. You didn't want to. You had no choice."  
  
"No it's just,"  
  
"You are messing with me again."  
  
Hermione stood and walked towards the stairs up to the girls dormitories.  
  
Ron stood up and followed her, "Hermione!" He grabbed the back of her robes and she fell unceremoniously down the stairs right in to his arms.  
  
"Get off me, got off me!" She thrashed. She stood and straightened her robes, "That was - "  
  
And of course, she was rendered speechless by an obstruction, in this case Ron, who placed his hand right over her mouth. (Haha I bet you thought they were going to kiss here!)  
  
"Sometimes you talk too much." He said gently, removing his hand.  
  
She glared.  
  
"You did look soft and pretty. May I kiss you?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I already said yes. Don't ask me every time you want to and just do it!" An with her eyes pinched tightly shut Hermione Granger, Head girl, chaste as a nun, brought Ronald Weasley's head to her own and kissed him.  
  
*******************  
  
A/N: The end. 


End file.
